Orange, Frost, and Nana stood around at a distance, watching over Ewan, while he sat cross-legged in the center, trying to break through the thin barrier. Thin yet indelible, it appeared to be. The flimsy wall looked gigantic right now, nigh impregnable.
His face was feverish, flushed, and he gritted his teeth as his spirit boiled, the surging waves crashing against the blockade to break through. Yet, the imminent threat of the wolves fractured his concentration. His long-held breath congested his chest, his lungs bloated, his throat sored from the involuntary growls, and the peril of the cage and the new Crown yanked him out of his immersion. Veins popped on his strained neck, and he trembled harder by the second.
Finally, he couldn’t sustain it anymore and let go, heaving hard, the color on his face receding to the fair skin. His spirit calmed down as his posture eased. He failed in his breakthrough attempt; he rubbed his forehead and combed his wet hair back, taking deep breaths.
“Did you succeed?” Nana asked, sniffing. “There’s no sweet smell.”
“I failed, can't concentrate here. Let’s deal with the fucking wolves first, I’ll try again after that,” he said, the frustration poking his patience. “Do you want to try? You’re at the peak too, right?”
“I-I don’t know if I’ll succeed,” she said. “Even you failed….”
“What? Rubbing salt now?” he asked rhetorically. “You don’t use your brain much, you won't have any problems, just give it a try.”
“What? I’ve always been smart,” she said. “You always lost to me in crossword puzzles.”
“I’m one year younger, what’re you doing comparing yourself to a child,” he said.
Her nostrils flared. “I’ll fail too!” She stomped to the center and sat cross-legged where Ewan sat before.
…
…
…
At the end of the minutes, a syrupy sweet smell invaded Ewan’s premises—Nana succeeded in her breakthrough.
Is she really dumb…
His lips twitched as he gaped, leaning on the ledge with his arms crossed. “What? Too embarrassed to open your eyes?” He smirked.
“D-Don’t talk to me, I haven’t broken through yet,” she said, her ears reddening.
“You think my nose is for show?” he asked, laughing, but frowned a second later and looked down from the roof edge. “Get ready, they’re here.” His emerald-green glowing eyes pierced the cloak of darkness and watched the wolves sneaking towards the nearest building.
……
Ewan and Nana hid behind the roof railing that faced the building the wolves were coming from, their Astylinds with them, ready to assault.
“Let’s see how many lives it’ll take before you figure it out,” Ewan murmured. His Ryvia expanded, its edge touching the other building. The wolves inched up the stairs in a line, the faint scratches of their claws against the marbled steps grazing Ewan’s ears.
They took position on the other roof, and he got ready too, cutting off all other distractions and focusing on this one task. Subtlety was essential for his plan, and it required his full attention. One wolf galloped, speeding into a sprint with each step, and vaulted off the roof edge. Others raced behind it. The force it had was more than enough to reach Ewan’s and Nana’s rooftop.
Stolen story; please report.
However…
Ewan condensed his Ryvia and compressed the air in the wolves’ path, making it denser. The first wolf decelerated in the air and arced down before it could reach the other roof. It flailed its limbs, crying, and finally plunged to its death with its long howl fading away, clonking with a splatter of flesh and gore.
The other wolves also jumped one after another. And like the first one, the dense air hindered them, and they all dove to their deaths, their maimed remains, bloody and gory, carpeted the ground below. The alpha stood at the end of the line, glaring at Ewan’s roof, but didn’t make any moves.
“You are an Astylind after all, can't compare to a Staron,” Ewan mumbled, then he winced as his scalp stung. “Stop pulling my hair, I’m not insulting you guys,” he whispered, trying to save his hair from Orange. “How’d you understand that anyway?”
“You…deserve it,” Nana muttered.
……
Half his pack fell to their deaths before the alpha bayed and stopped them.
“Too late, my Orange is much smarter than you,” Ewan sniggered, while pacifying and stroking the little monkey in his arms. “You are too.” He patted Frost and caressed his horns.
Nana gaped at them from the side. “You really work hard…,” she said.
Ewan ignored her humorous sarcasm and stood up, facing the alpha. “Was that all?” he hollered, taunting the wolves in preparation for the next spell. And the more reckless and wilder they were, the better it was for him. “Deal with this next,” he said. Though his words couldn’t cross the boundary of their languages, his intent would.
Bloodlust!
He aimed at the nearest wolf and triggered the spell. The alpha was their leader, but he didn’t hold absolute control over them, like Severynths and their contracted Astylinds. The tiny thread of dominance it had snapped when the spell took effect. The targeted wolf’s eyes reddened, its muscles tightened, and it snarled at its brethren, saliva dripping down its mouth.
The fight ended soon as the alpha put the frenzied wolf down, ripping its throat. But not before it took one other life. The large wolf glared at Ewan, growling.
“I have more Blood-Anima. Don’t worry, your chance will come too,” Ewan said, staring back at the alpha, holding a blood red crystal in his hand.
Bloodlust!
He targeted another wolf and cast the spell. But the alpha reacted fast this time and smashed the wolf’s head open before it could make its move.
Ewan scoffed. “Doesn’t matter, you’re still doing my bidding,” he said. “Kill your own pack, I’ll end you when you stand alone.”
Bloodlust!
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Status: Healthy
Step-0 [3rd Awakening]
Name: Ewan Ayres
Species: Human
Vitality: 1.4
Spirit: 6.9
Anima: 17.4 [Fire – 6.9 | Ice – 6.9 | Blood – 3.6]
Astylinds: 4 [Potential: 0]
Rolling Cat [Toast]: Step-0 [3rd Awakening]
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Fire Monkey [Orange]: Step-0 [Level-3] [Grade-C]
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Imp [Frost]: Step-0 [Level-4] [Grade-C]
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Blood Lotus [Iris]: Step-0 [Level-3] [Grade-C]
Equipment: Common Clothes.
Storage: Journal; Elementalist—The Path of Anima [Subtype-Book]; Spellbook; Bloodlust [Spell]; Transmute [Spell]; Anima-Crystals; Obsidian Dagger; Hub-Connector; Ingredients.
Novas: 192
Crelith: 4984